The story of the Tower of Babel is only 9 verses long, but its significance is pivotal to human history, as well as its future. Let’s pray…
Sovereign God, El Shaddai, Our Creator, You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Thank You, Lord, that we can meet to study your Word. Father, oh how we need You. This world is out of control. But, You control the course of world events. You remove kings and set up other kings. Lord, You give wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. You reveal deep and mysterious things and know what lies hidden in darkness, though You are surrounded by light. Break open your Word within us until revelation light shines out! Open our eyes, minds, and hearts to see and understand the wonderful truths in Your Word. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
One Language, One People Group
Right after the flood, we had Noah and his wife, his 3 sons, Ham, Japheth, and Shem, and their wives saved by God. We’re told in Genesis 10 that “many children were born to them (Genesis 10:1).”
There’s an interesting fact in Genesis 10 that many people skip over because it’s another boring genealogy. However, after each son’s listed lineage it says something about who they became. For instance…
Their descendants [of Japheth] became the seafaring peoples that spread out to various lands, each identified by its own language, clan, and national identity.
Genesis 10:5 NLT (emphasis mine)
And it concludes…
32 These are the clans that descended from Noah’s sons, arranged by nation according to their lines of descent. All the nations of the earth descended from these clans after the great flood.
Genesis 10:32 NLT
Ultimately, there is a problem. There is something that doesn’t quite make sense. See if you can pick it out as we go into Genesis 11…
Genesis 11: The Tower of Babel
At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. 2 As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia (Shinar) and settled there.
3 They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) 4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”
5 But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. 6 “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! 7 Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”
8 In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world.
Genesis 11:1-9 NLT
How can you have multiple languages in Genesis 10 and one language in Genesis 11?
Simple! They are not in chronological order! Actually, Genesis 11 explains how they went from one language — more than likely Hebrew — to many languages, clans, and nations spread out.
In fact, one of the descendants of Japheth was Ashkenaz, and today, the European Jews are called “Ashkenazi”. The Spanish Jews are Sephardic — which means Spanish. (BTW, I’m 1% Sephardic Jew!)
The Fertile Cresent
Biblical Archeology – Where was the Tower of Babel
Tower of Babel Rendering vs European Union HQ
It’s interesting how the European Union, which will be the foundation of the future one-world order, built its parliament building to look exactly like the Tower of Babel.
That is ridiculously creepy!
“The cathedral is a compass to God.”
Fictional Mini Series “The Pillars of the Earth” set circa 1099 AD
Religious Man Built Churches to Reach God
Religion or a church building is not a “compass” to God — Jesus is! Related: How Paganism Got Started in the Christian Church.
Points to Ponder on the Tower of Babel
- The tower had to be high enough to be the “gate of God”.
- They wanted to be close to the stars — the start of astrology and idolatry — false religious systems.
- The people wanted to build a stairway to Heaven.
- It was a large city. Cain built the first one, but it was wiped out in the flood.
- The first “great city” after the flood — the start of urbanization and political system.
- Babel, in Hebrew, means “confusion”.
- Brick-making was the first assembly line leading to commercialism. Check out the video at the bottom.
- Though stone was harder, burnt bricks and tar would last longer and not let in water. They were afraid of another flood.
- It was the beginning of rebellion against God.
- This was the first one-world order — one language.
- Check out the first video below with Amir Tsarfati explaining how it’s all leading to the Antichrist.
- In verse 7, we have the Trinity again as the Lord says, “Let us” go down and confuse the people.
- God came down to get a better look at what man was doing. Similar to when He confronted Adam and Eve.
In Genesis 10, we met Nimrod, the grandson of Ham and the great-grandson of Noah. Ham was the son that Noah cursed (Genesis 9). Nimrod built his kingdom in the land of Shinar, which later became Babylonia. So we have the Kingdom of Man vs the Kingdom of God. Nimrod was the first anti-God representative of Satan — the spirit of the Antichrist.
He [Nimrod] persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it was through his means that they were happy; but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny; seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence on his own power. He also said, “He would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again: for that he would build a Tower too high for the waters to be able to reach; and that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their fore-fathers.”
Antiquities by Josephus
It was the start of Paganism.
The future of Babylon and the Babylonian Empire is a bit of a roller coaster ride. The Tower of Babel was destroyed, but Babylon later became a great empire that God sent to capture the Jews who had disobeyed Him and worshiped foreign gods and idols. It is later destroyed, but its concepts of greed, lust, pride, gluttony, and vanity are still alive and well in our world today.
Ultimately, Babylon will be annihilated in Revelation 18 which we will study at a future date.
What’s wonderful about the whole Bible is that it’s not just a history book, but it’s a warning for mankind to turn to God or perish! It’s full of God’s promises that He always keeps. One of them being the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ.
In the future, we will return to one language — again, probably Hebrew. God said…
Then I will purify the speech of all people,
Zephaniah 3:9 NLT
so that everyone can worship the Lord together.
The Tower of Babel is the origin of nations. They were not scattered until Satan implanted a viral set of beliefs that was the source of every false religion the world has ever known.
God Needed a Nation
These nations weren’t good enough. Certainly, Nimrod’s descendants and followers were going to continue being Anti-God people. Who was going to carry the “Seed” who was to crush Satan (Genesis 3:15)? That’s where Genesis 12 comes in and a man named Abram. We’ll get into that story, God’s promises, and prophecies next time.
It’s Your Choice
Follow the world — Nimrod’s folks — or follow Jesus — the true Stairway to Heaven!
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…
As in the Days of Noah Bible Study
